Hope
by Aisie
Summary: Sequel to "Breathe". Takes place in the world of Narnia, but is a completely different story. Ana is a young, implusive princess. Rashid is her protector. When she is kidnapped, will he be able to save her?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia.**

**Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who read "Breathe"! I had so much fun writing it, and I hope to go through and edit it to make it better, eventually. For now, I'm super excited to give you "Hope", Ana and Rashid's story. Obviously, Susan and Asher will still be in it, just not as the main characters. Thanks so much for all your awesome reviews! Xoxo, Aisie**

* * *

><p>Ana ran down the hallways of the palace, her dark hair flying behind her and her bright eyes sparkling mischievously. Rushing headlong around a corner, she felt herself hit someone and she fell back with a little scream. Before she could hit the ground, she was pulled back to her feet by a strong hand. Looking up, she saw Rashid's grinning face.<p>

"Here I thought you were turning seventeen, but I must have been mistaken. Only young girls run inside palaces."

She stuck out her tongue and laughed. "Leave me alone, Rashid. I'm late to my own party!" she yelled as she ran back toward the dining hall."Ana! Wait! Your head scarf - it fell," he called out after a loud sigh, the girl turned back around. "Susan doesn't have to wear one."

"Queen Susan is not from here. Our rules don't apply to her."

"She says head scarves are barbaric and meant to lower the status of women."

"They are to protect you!"

"From who?" she yelled angrily. Rashid looked down at the young woman before him, her eyes flashing. Suddenly, he smiled again.

"From men like me!" he yelled, reaching down and tickling her. Ana laughed, pulling away from him and grudgingly winding her headscarf around her face. When she was done, all Rashid could see was an edge of dark skin and her eyes.

"Better?" she asked sarcastically. He nodded, and she left after giving him a quick hug.

Rashid stared after her, a soft smile lighting up his face. Ever since he had rescued Susan from the White Witch, he and Ana had become close friends. Asher and Susan had forgiven him for his betrayal, Susan in particular. She would hug him sometimes, and he knew she was thinking of her brother, Edmund. Susan's story was strange, but Rashid had come to accept that there were some things he would never understand. Ana had been the most accepting of him, since she had been too young to truly understand his betrayal.

His traditional view of the world sometimes clashed with her easy, free spirit, but they had become friends anyway. Now, though, Rashid worried that her spirited behavior was leaning towards rebellion, and he feared the Council of Elders would force her to comply with their rules.

Asher, who had three children, and a beautiful wife, did not have much time for his little sister. It had been Rashid to comfort her when her mother died, Rashid to tell her funny stories when the thunderstorms came, and Rashid was the one left to worry over the impulsive and gorgeous seventeen year old. Ana didn't like rules, and most of the time it didn't matter. She lived a sheltered life in the palace, Susan and Asher indulging her every whim. But Rashid knew that as Princess - and therefore Queen to be, in one year her life was going to change drastically. Suitors would not accept a bride who cared little about head scarves, who ran when she should have walked, and who was loud when it was time to be silent. And even though he knew he didn't have a chance, Rashid couldn't help loving her all the same.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia.**

**Author's Note: To anyone who read "Breathe", you might remember that the country was named Sirrah and the capital named Bazieran. I have changed the country's name to Bazieran, just if you are confused. Thanks for all the great reviews and the favorites so far! Please continue to review! Y'all make my day! :) Since it's summer, I will hopefully be loading at least one chapter a week… hopefully. Thanks again for your reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>One Year Later<em>

In Bazieran, royalty were crowned on their eighteenth birthday, signifying their adulthood and readiness to take the throne if anything happened to the current ruler. Asher had become king when he was only twenty nine, as his father's failing health forced him to resign. Asher, and his queen, Susan, had had a prosperous rule, despite the horrors that had brought them together. They had three beautiful children, and Ana was like a child to them. It was now her turn to take up the crown.

Asher smiled with pride at his little sister. She was beautiful, and she had grown into a wonderful young woman. As she walked toward him, ready to be crowned Princess of Bazieran, he flashed a quick grin at her to steady her nerves.

* * *

><p><em>One Hour Before<em>

"Rashid - I'm going to mess up. I can't do this." Ana moaned, dropping her head to her arms. She was seated on one of the richly embroidered couches in her room. Rashid was leaning against the windowsill, smirking at her.

"As I recall, that's the same thing you said about riding a horse, and learning to dance, and-"

"I get it!" she said, looking up and glaring at him. "This isn't funny, Rashid. I'm not ready to be a Princess."

He smiled gently and walked toward her. "Ana, you're already a princess. Now you get to wear the crown."

She smiled shakily and looked up into his eyes. They were warm and sincere. Rashid was her best friend. She knew she could always count on him. His face, all dark angles and steady smiles, was as familiar to her as her own. And yet, in that moment, there was something in Rashid's eyes she was afraid to name, and she quickly turned away. "Help me with my headscarf please." she whispered, and she shivered when she felt his hands on her hair.

* * *

><p><em>The Ceremony<em>

Rashid smiled down on Ana, who was clutching his arm desperately as she walked down the aisle toward her brother. Today, her sari was even more elaborate than normal, a hot pink covered with gold coins and beads. Her headscarf was embroidered in gold thread, and her eyes had been outlined in kohl. The bracelets around her ankles clinked together as she made slow, halting steps toward the front of the room.

"Rashid," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"I'm right here," he murmured back, smoothly passing her on the her brother. Their father was beaming from the side of the stage, and Susan stepped forward to present the crown to her husband. Ana knelt slowly, making sure not to wobble.

Asher stepped forward and whispered, "You're doing fine, Ana," before raising his voice, "By the power given to me by the Great Lion, Aslan, and Yeshua, the One Who Saves, and by the power given to me by my father and the Council of Elders, I do proclaim you to be Adriana, Princess of Bazieran. Let no one contest that which I have spoken today."

Ana lifted her head as cheers rang out around the palace. She turned and smiled, her nervousness gone. She waved until the back of the room broke out in screams.

A dark figure was pushing through the crowd, a knife in his raised hand. Ana distantly heard Susan screaming in the background, and Asher calling for guards. But all she could she was the knife leaving his hand and flipping through the air towards her. Her legs seemed to have frozen, and she stood, immobile. Rashid's voice was the one to finally break through the pounding in her head, screaming "Ana!" as he tackled her to the ground.


End file.
